50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Week 293: 6 hours 25 minutes in 7 runs with one workout and one race

Mon - 1 hr easy

Tue - 1 hr 18 min with 26 min tempo

Wed - 30 min easy

Thu - 1 hr easy

Fri - 44 min easy

Sat - 10 min wu, 5K XC in 22:58, 20 min cd

Sun - 1 hr slow

I was a little late to Saturday's race, and did not get in a complete warmup, but the minimum I did was maybe good enough. It was a smaller and less competitive field than last year, when I ran over a minute faster and still had 3 women finish ahead of me; this year I was 5th OA! After the first mile when I left behind the runners who went out too fast, I ran pretty much alone. I was pleased with my pacing: 1-mile flag in 7:25, 2-mile flag in 15:03 (7:38), no 3-mile flag but 7:24 overall average. The slower second mile included about 1/4-mile of muddy single-track in the woods. I ran hard there and closed the gap on the fourth place guy. When we left the woods I let him get away. He finished 1:08 ahead of me and there is an outside chance I could have raced him. But in general I was just so happy to be running without incident that I decided to save it for another day.

@Rtype - I don't know if my ability to go without oxygen has declined that much. I was never that good at it. But compared to my younger days I am completely unable to go without food!

Eagle wrote:

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

Thanks. The snow last Sunday and ice on Monday was to the point of being serious. Parts of the country are prepared for this type of event and is budgeted for and have the equipment. Same for the residents. Not us, we are high desert.

Oh stop it. According to the NWS you've had a trace of snow in recent days. C'mon man!

In the post you criticized did I say anything about snow in recent days, or are you just the same guy that has a habit of dogging me?

Jan 1 - Ran 15 minutes in am with wife; Frank Shorter 1 Mile Road Race in 5:55 (Ran ~30-minutes total)

Jan 2 - Ran 19 minutes in am with wife; Biked 40 miles in 2:26

Jan 3 - Ran 48 minutes

Jan 4 - Ran 19 minutes in am with wife; Ran 48-minutes in afternoon

Jan 5 - Ran 43-minutes with middle 3 miles at 7:25/mile pace

Jan 6 - Ran 24 minutes in am with wife; Bike 19 miles in 1:04

Jan 7 - Ran 67 minutes with 1 mile 6:00

Jan 8 - Ran 60 minutes

Jan 9 - Ran 55 minutes with 3x 0.57 mile in 3:32, 3:31, 3:31 (no zip at all)

Jan 10 - Ran 20 minutes in am with wife; Ran 42-minutes in afternoon

Jan 11 - Biked 17 miles in 1 hour; Ran 45-minutes in afternoon with 1x 0.57 mile in 3:14 (that was an all out effort and equals 5:40/mile pace)

Jan 12 - Ran 50-minutes with middle 4 miles at 7:08/mile pace (that was a hard effort)

Jan 13 - Ran 18 minutes in am with wife; Bike 18 miles in 1:02; Ran 21 minutes in afternoon

Jan 14 - Bike 35 miles in 2:05

Jan 15 - Ran 64-minutes with middle 4 miles at 7:10/mile pace

Next race on 1/28 will be 15K. Hoping for 7:00-7:15/mile pace.

Darn, just 30 miles

61

Cancer

Colectomy

6 epidurals

Serious "weekend" runner from 1977 to 2007.

I would have done more, but back to back hockey games and two really late nights finished me off..

I'll tell you what I did do though..

i was staying at the hotel next to the arena and I got up before dawn and ran for an hour and 5 minutes around the arena

They had the billboard lights at gate 4 on and all the sound systems mounted on the lamp posts around the arena and restaurants were on and blaring music while workers just getting to work at around 5:30am were hosing off the sidewalks...

Eerie, running by the video billboard showing hockey players smashing people into the boards at that hour while your hammering miles....

The slow rear view mirror watch of my running career is still pretty cool.

To Eagle and all your other troll handles, January 10 was last Tuesday.

http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/heavy-snow-collapses-roofs-triggers-damage-at-some-schools-cancels-classes-again/Content?oid=3959061

klp wrote:

Darn, just 30 miles

61

Cancer

Colectomy

6 epidurals

Serious "weekend" runner from 1977 to 2007.

I would have done more, but back to back hockey games and two really late nights finished me off..

I'll tell you what I did do though..

i was staying at the hotel next to the arena and I got up before dawn and ran for an hour and 5 minutes around the arena

They had the billboard lights at gate 4 on and all the sound systems mounted on the lamp posts around the arena and restaurants were on and blaring music while workers just getting to work at around 5:30am were hosing off the sidewalks...

Eerie, running by the video billboard showing hockey players smashing people into the boards at that hour while your hammering miles....

The slow rear view mirror watch of my running career is still pretty cool.

p.s. Forgot to mention, ran into Arnold Schwartznegger in a bar after one of the games.

...dick

Had my butt handed to me by a crazy nasty flu bug...nearly two entire weeks long...still trying to shake it...my bride thinks the fact that I ran every day through it has probably prolonged things...what does she know ;)

Scratched out 30 for the week...all jogging all the time...although I did insert 2 x 600 on Thursday just to 'check on things'

HOPING to get on the track later this week to re-start the 800/mile training

Gotta be sure to follow my own Lydiard inspired advice this week and 'train don't strain'

Catch up next week.

your pal,

MF

Two weeks without any chocolate but I have started to eat dates. Nothing like a nice hot herbal tea with some dates.

Eased back into workouts after suffering through the flu last week. Did 4 one hour treadmill hills and a two hour treadmill hill session. Also ran a 7:30 mile on Tuesday and another on Wednesday.

Feel good so I should get back to the 2 hours a day of hiking and take a wait and see approach to any runs.

Mon. 3.3 km trail run 25.00. 115 m. elevation gain.

24 min mtn bike. 36 min kayak. 6 min indoor rowing.

Tue. 20 min kayak.

4.5 km trail run 21.00 with last dh 1500 m in 6.05.

30 min mtn bike.

Wed. 22 min kayak.

3.3 km trail run 24.00. 115 m. elevation gain.

33 min mtn bike with a 1 min pb and strava KOM up the rugged Viewing Rock climb.

6 min indoor rowing.

Thu. 39 min mtn bike.

11 km easy trail run 1 h 04 m.

24 min kayak.

Fri. 20 min kayak.

Sat. 2 h 8 min mtn bike ride.

10.6 km run with an easy trail 3.3 km/115m in 25 then tempo 5 km in 22.30 on flat creekside trails and some easy cooldown jog.

Sun. 38 min mtn bike into the forest hid it in the scrub then jogged an easy 8 km through the bush in 48 then 11 min ride home.

A good fun week mixing it up. Tuesday's run was surprising. Just seemed to get rolling early and kept going before letting rip at the end.

Wednesday on the bike I nailed the climb. I usually hit it up in around the 10 mins with my best 9.36. Cleaned it up in 8.35 with a bit in the tank.

Saturday's tempo run was pleasing off a 2 hr bike ride.

I probably need to get back to a few more hikes leading up to Nepal but it was pleasing to see I could still go ok over the shorter stuff.

Tomorrow is going to be a hot one 40ish celsius (105 f) so might get out early.

Hey folks

I have a question for all of you. Since I returned to running and other activities I have had pretty good luck with not being injured. What I have had, though, is persistent soreness in my calves and hamstrings that doesn't ever seem to go away.

It doesn't seem to matter whether I run fast or slow, long or short, every morning my calves are tight and sore. It loosens up throughout the day and by the time I go run I feel fine again and after is not too bad. Also my hamstrings are sore all the time.

This past 2 weeks I have been focusing on more self massage and stuff and I am getting some relief.

So do some of you also face this? If so any ideas that might help?

Mike

Mike Rohl I do a nightly hot soak in Epsom salt...I take handfuls of Epsom, soak them in my fist and then rub directly into the most problematic areas...I use 3-5 lbs of Epsom daily...I've done this almost every single day for nearly 20 years...a glass of wine to go along with this ritual never ever hurts

Not me. Any kind of persistent soreness is always an injury. If I had sore anything just getting out of bed I would want to figure it out and take care of it. Sometimes it takes me a _long_ time to figure it out, but I don't give up.

Michael Rohl wrote:

... It doesn't seem to matter whether I run fast or slow, long or short, every morning my calves are tight and sore. It loosens up throughout the day and by the time I go run I feel fine again and after is not too bad.

Hmm ... I don't recall ever NOT being tight and sore. At least for the past 45 years or so. Even in high school I would have to warm up for a half hour before I could do the actual warm up with the team. Always stiff and sore.

Co-workers through the years have pointed to me as the poster child for NOT running, as they witnessed me always struggle to stand after sitting at my drawing table or desk.

Every morning I have to place both feet on each tread as I walk down the stairs, as my knees are too weak and tender to walk down normally.

But once I start moving, or after the first mile or two of a run, I'm fine. After so many decades, I have accepted it a "normal," and don't worry about it. Kinda thought most runners experienced pretty much the same.

My philosophy has been: if the pain, discomfort or soreness disappeared with activity, and didn't appreciably worsen over time, then all is OK. Over the years I've had some hip and groin issues which I have successfully "treated" with strength training and modifying my running gait and shoe choice. But that's about it.

After reading Alan Bennett's response, I'm wondering if I have been too cavalier? Or just an oddity?

Mike, do you think your current issues could be related to weight training or other non-running workouts?

long run of 2017 yesterday, 5 miles, with middle 3 at 7 minute pace. heartrate was around 140 (hand-checked, don't use too many gizmos). hard to believe that pace is around 80% effort for me now...

still don't feel quite like i can get on my toes like normal, so reluctant to try to run faster. lots of elliptigoing, probably over 100 miles on it last week--unfortunately that'll change now that my school district's winter break is over.

looking forward to bend x-c--my last national x-c meet while in my 40s--in a little less than 3 weeks, even though i'm likely to get beat by at least a couple of 60 year olds (rick becker's tough even when i'm healthy and fit!)--happy to be able to run 5 miles (8k) since a few weeks ago i couldn't run more than 2...

stay healthy my friends,

cush

The conversation reminds of the Toby Keith country song "As Good As I Once Was."

"I used to be hell on wheels

Back when I was a younger man

'Now my body says 'Oh, you can't do this boy,'

But my pride says, 'Oh, yes you can.'

I ain't as good as I once was

But I'm as good once as I ever was."

Igy

The log reads 35.3 miles with an avg pace of 7:37 for the week. After my calf scare Wednesday, I seemed to recover with no signs of any calf pain the rest of the week. I'm doing much better with the post run stretching & drills. Hopeful of making it two weeks in a row... M: (TM) 3.25 Miles in 25:26 [7:49 per mile]T: (TM) 5 Miles in 37:54 [7:34 per mile]W: 4.07 Miles in 32:28 [7:58 per mile]T: (TM) 4 Miles in 29:25 [7:21 per mile]F: 5.11 Miles in 39:40 [7:45 per mile]S: 7.73 Miles in 57:54 [7:29 per mile]S: 6.11 Miles in 46:15 [7:34 per mile]

SoCal Pete wrote:

I know it sounds like self-promotion here (and I guess it is), but if you want to develop a good all-around routine for keeping your body strong, get my book Build Your Running Body. It'll take you through all the exercises you'll need (photo-instruction for all of them). And good luck!

Pete...Yes I have read your book from cover-to-cover, several times. Its my favorite bathroom book! I just need to apply all the things that I should be doing.

And...I would like to invite you to share a summary of your weekly workouts with us. C'mon man, you're one of us! I'd like to see what you do along with everyone else here. And like everyone else, feel free to whine about your aches and pains too. We're mostly nice...

Have a good week,

Dave

Allen1959 wrote:

Mike, do you think your current issues could be related to weight training or other non-running workouts?

Allen, I have thought about that but this started within a few weeks of running when I first started and I didn't actually start doing any "strength training" until May. Also this isn't the same kind of soreness as weight training. Now my my most recent hiccup was definitely because of me being a nuckle head in the gym. It is funny I have access to so much cool stuff but I have to be so careful using it. I have recently reassessed what I have been doing the past few weeks and I have adjusted my priorities and planning accordingly.

So I'll add some epsom salt bath like Mike suggested and maybe an ice bath too. I think I might try getting the strausburg socks a couple of nights a week

Thanks, everyone it seems maybe this maybe just part of what I have to put up with.

On another note the team is back and they are in good spirits and, for the most part, fun to work with. You can follow them at gomounties.com

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

The conversation reminds of the Toby Keith country song "As Good As I Once Was."

"I used to be hell on wheels

Back when I was a younger man

'Now my body says 'Oh, you can't do this boy,'

But my pride says, 'Oh, yes you can.'

I ain't as good as I once was

But I'm as good once as I ever was."

Igy

'the older we get the faster we were'...ancient Aggie proverb